Captured Moments
by intentonpeace
Summary: A series of moments throughout the lives of Henry and Elizabeth McCord.
1. Massage

AN: I was inspired by a list of fan fic prompts on Tumblr. I used one for this chapter, but I'm willing to take requests for subsequent chapters! I'm planning to add to this as frequently as I can. My vision is that each chapter will be an unrelated, not necessarily chronological moment that Henry and Elizabeth have shared together. I hope you enjoy it. I welcome feedback/constructive criticism.

Henry walked slowly across the quad feeling spent after a long and exhausting day of training practice. He'd been running drills and completing obstacle courses since lunch and it pained him to make the long walk to Elizabeth's dorm, but he had been looking forward to an evening alone with her. Henry had been dating Elizabeth for just over 3 weeks and he was thoroughly enjoying getting to know her bit by bit. Impressed was an understatement; he couldn't imagine anyone better suited for him even after 3 short weeks.

A grin lit up Henry's face as he spotted Elizabeth perched up on the ledge of the dormitory, sitting cross-legged with her nose buried in a book. He paused for a moment and just watched her. He found her so beautiful in a very classic way and he was attracted to her both physically and intellectually. He sauntered over to her and leaned against the cement ledge, "Hey you." Elizabeth looked up, the sound of his voice breaking her out of her trance. She hopped off the ledge and beamed at him, "Henry, hi!" He rested a hand on her hip, "You sure are a sight for sore eyes. Are you ready to go?" She nodded, smiling up at him. The couple walked hand in hand across campus to Henry's apartment.

"Thanks for letting me come over here. It's nice to have someplace to go where we don't have to worry about roommates," she said as they walked inside. This was the first time she'd been inside Henry's apartment. She surveyed the small space, but smiled at how homey it was. The apartment was somehow exactly _Henry._ "I like it here," she added, smiling over at him. He grabbed her hand gently and let his tired body collapse on the couch, pulling her down beside him. "I'm glad you like it. Make yourself at home," he told her. He winced a little as he stretched out his legs to rest them on the coffee table. She stared at him, concern clouding her eyes, "Henry, are you hurt?" He was surprised by how serious she sounded. He tried to assuage her concern with a chuckle, "I'm fine. Just sore. I had a rough training day today. Everyone had to complete extra drills. I'm exhausted, that's all."

Elizabeth suddenly felt self conscious that she was imposing on Henry's time to relax and recuperate after a long and seemingly draining day. "I'm sorry, Henry. We didn't have to hang out tonight if you needed this time to relax." Henry stared at her and leaned over to brush a stray piece of her behind her ear, "Thinking of spending this time with you was what kept me going today." He closed the distance between them and brushed his lips against hers softly before pulling away, "Being achy and sore is a small price to pay." She smiled at him so tenderly that Henry couldn't help but kiss her again, longer this time. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him after breaking the kiss. "I'm sorry you're so sore, Henry. Do you.. well… I mean… I could give you a massage? She meant to make a direct offer, but the words came out sounding like a nervous question. Her belly was alive with butterflies and she realized she was holding her breath when she heard the sound of his voice. "You don't have to do that, Elizabeth." He told her gently.

Elizabeth stared deep into his eyes allowing herself to act on instinct alone and not overthink the situation, "I want to. I can help you feel better. Maybe you should go lay down on your bed though." Henry eyed her, unsure. "Come on, go," she prodded, pulling him off the couch. Henry led her to his bedroom, but protested one last time, "Seriously, Elizabeth this isn't necessa-" she cut him off before he could finish his thought. "Take off your shirt and lay down," she said softly.

Henry, clearly under her spell, took off his shirt and lay face down on the bed. Elizabeth crawled onto the bed, then looked around the room for a moment, trying to decide what her next move would be. Feeling brave, she moved to straddle his hips, so she could properly massage his back and shoulders. She leaned forward and began to massage the tight knots from his upper back. She smiled when she heard a low growl escape his lips. "I'm not hurting you am I?" she asked. "No. Elizabeth, you're perfect." She smiled as she continued to run her hands along his back, paying special attention to any muscle that seemed tense. After a long while of kneading and rubbing she leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Feel better?" He turned his head a bit, "Extremely better. You have magical hands." She giggled, then rolled off of him. She lay beside him and he turned to face her. She let her eyes scan his face, looking him up and down. "I like taking care of you. I would do anything I could for you, Henry," she whispered before kissing him softly. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her back slowly until eventually they were asleep in one another's arms.


	2. Jealous

Elizabeth was curled up on the couch absentmindedly flipping through a magazine and sipping on a glass of white wine. She had returned home from teaching her last class at UVA several hours ago. She somehow managed to feed, bathe, and wrangle both Allison and Stevie into bed despite their best protests. Now she was waiting eagerly for Henry to walk through the door. Elizabeth had grown accustom to Henry working for the NSA, but he had just been assigned a new handler and the two of them were carrying out a mission at a fancy party for religious scholars. Seeing Henry in a tuxedo was motivation in and of itself to wait up for him, but Elizabeth was also curious to know how things went with Gemma, his new handler. She smiled to herself as she heard the lock turn. She turned her head and watched as Henry tiptoed inside, fully expecting his three girls to be fast asleep. She smirked, taking in the sight of him clad in a very stylish fitted tuxedo as she waited for him to notice her. He slipped off his dress shoes, and then tucked them in the entryway closet. Finally, just before he scaled the stairs, he spotted her. He smiled curiously, "What in the world are you still doing up?"

She beamed up at him with a twinkle in her eyes, "Do you think I would miss my chance to see you all dressed up? What kind of fool do you take me for?"

He chuckled quietly, "Oh, of course." He stretched out his arms and turned around slowly, "So what do you think? Is it all you thought it would be?"

She smirked and stretched out her hand, pulling him over to the couch, "Oh, it's more." He settled down on the couch beside her. She scooted closer to him and draped her legs over his lap. She leaned in and pecked his lips.

"Sooooo," she said, "How did everything go tonight?"

"It was good. You know I can't tell you too much, but we got the information we needed. So mission accomplished," he said.

She patted his chest, "That's great, but I meant how did things go with Gemma?"

"With Gemma? Things were fine. She's just your typical handler," he said, brushing off the question.

"She's cute, isn't she? I heard she was cute," Elizabeth said, not dropping the subject.

He laughed at her outright, "Where is this coming from?"

She shrugged, "I'm just curious. You were out all night with a beautiful woman. I'm sure there was great music, free booze, and probably dancing. Did you dance with her?"

"Oh. My. God. Are you jealous?" he asked, still outwardly laughing at her.

She slapped his chest, "Oh, shut up. What kind of name is Gemma anyway?"

His jaw dropped, but he had a playful glint in his eyes, "Elizabeth McCord, you are jealous."

She scrunched up her face, then rolled her eyes before mocking his words, "Henry McCord, I'm just curious."

He looked at her softly, "There was great music, free booze, and even dancing. You know what was missing though?"

She shrugged, then replied dryly, "A valet?"

"You," he said, lunging forward and tickling her sides.

She laid back flat on the couch, giggling and squirming. He stopped tickling her, but grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head.

"Elizabeth, you are the most beautiful woman in this world. Whenever I'm without you I'm wishing you were there. Nothing could ever change that." He said seriously, then leaned down to capture her lips in an intense kiss.

She pulled away after a moment, gasping for air. She grinned up at him, "I love you."

He smiled, "I love you. What's gotten into you tonight?"

She shrugged, letting the smile fall from her face, "Just missing you, I guess. And I got to thinking that I may not be as exciting or enticing as maybe I used to be."

He stared down at her, the look in his eyes turning serious, "Have you lost your mind?"

"No," she said stubbornly.

"You must have if you're questioning how much I adore you," he said.

"I know you love me, Henry. And I was just teasing earlier. I do wonder though if I'm all that exciting to you anymore."

He leaned down and kissed her in a passionate fury, literally taking her breath away. He pulled away only to say these words before attacking her lips again, "Nothing or no one has ever excited me more."

She kissed him back fervently, losing herself in his kisses, letting his lips set aside all of her insecurities. She pulled away slightly, keeping their faces close together, "Take me upstairs and prove it."

With that, Henry easily swept her into his arms, kissing her all the way up the stairs, before entering their bedroom and shutting the door.


	3. Deployment

Elizabeth stood in their bedroom, looking into the vanity mirror and fussing with her hair. She and Henry had plans to go to dinner and see a play. Elizabeth had a pervasive fear the entire time that they were engaged that marriage would somehow change their relationship. She had been so euphorically happy with him and she was terrified of that changing. She always fancied herself as independent and she never imagined falling for someone so hard that she couldn't imagine her life without him. Then she met Henry. Henry with his kind hazel eyes, strong arms, and patient, understanding nature. He was everything she never knew she needed to be complete. Elizabeth felt so loved and at peace when they were together. Now that she'd known this feeling, she knew she never wanted to lose that.

They'd only been married a short while, but to her delight, Elizabeth's fears never came to fruition. She and Henry, if anything, had been even happier than before. It was miraculous to Elizabeth that each day she became more infatuated and in love with the man that she could now call her husband. She'd heard women throughout her life complain about how boring and monotonous married life could be, but she failed to understand what they were talking about. Henry was her best friend and she was never bored when she was with him. He could make her laugh at the drop of a hat and his spontaneity never failed to thrill her. Elizabeth had zero complaints about married life. In fact, she couldn't wait to spend each day by his side.

Elizabeth was drawn from her thoughts as she heard the front door swing open. She grinned and pranced down the stairs. Henry stared at her, taking in the sight of her all dressed up. Elizabeth was wearing a skin tight royal blue dress that hit mid thigh. The dress had a sweetheart neckline that accentuated her cleavage. More than anything he was captivated by the joy that lit up her face at the sight of him. _God, I love this woman,_ he thought to himself as she closed the distance between them. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. "Hi, love," she smiled against his lips, "Are you ready to go?" Henry stared down at her, losing himself in his thoughts. She looked up at him waiting for his response, "Hello, Earth to Henry." She giggled, waving her hand in front of his face. He jerked his head, snapping out of his thoughts. "Yeah, let's go babe." He intertwined their fingers and led her to the car.

Elizabeth and Henry had a perfectly nice evening. They had enjoyed a delicious French dinner, which had been a splurge for them. Followed by a terrifically absurd comedy during which Henry had paid more attention to Elizabeth and the sound of her laughter than he had to the play itself. As they exited the theatre, Elizabeth was raving about the play and recapping her favorite parts. Henry was trying his best to be attentive, but he couldn't help feeling distracted. Elizabeth had noticed the distance between them throughout the evening. The distance was acute when they were normally so in sync with one another. She hugged his arm and glanced up at him, "Baby, are you alright?"

He nodded, "Hey, you wanna take a walk?"

"With you? Of course," she smiled at him sweetly. Henry took off his suite jacket and draped it around her slim frame before wrapping his arm around her waist. She leaned against him as they began strolling down Main St. They walked quietly for awhile. Elizabeth, taking in the sights of the town and admiring the adorable street lights. Henry, meanwhile, was lost in his thoughts, trying to decide how he was going to tell Elizabeth his news.

After walking for about 15 minutes, Henry stopped walking and sat down on a secluded bench. He pulled Elizabeth down with him. She sat close to him, scanning his face, trying her best to read him. He stared down at her with a pained look on his face attempting to muster the courage required to break her heart. "Tell me what's wrong," she whispered, running her hand across his cheek and down his jaw line. He swallowed the lump in his throat and exhaled nervously. "Whatever it is, Henry, it will be okay," she encouraged him. Henry nodded, then looked down at his lap before choking out, "I'm being deployed."

Elizabeth inhaled sharply, letting the words hit her like a ton of bricks. She always knew that this was a possibility, but it was one she didn't want to think about becoming a reality. Now that it was really happening she suddenly felt the urge to vomit. Her whole body flooded with adrenaline. Elizabeth resisted the urge to flee knowing that she needed to support Henry in this moment. Tears filled her eyes, but she willed them not to spill over. Her crystal blue eyes met Henry's as she whispered, "When?"

"In two weeks," he said grimly. A quiet gasp erupted from her as Elizabeth took in this information. Two weeks was not enough time to say goodbye to him. Hell, two years wouldn't have been enough time to say goodbye to this man. Saying goodbye to Henry was the one thing Elizabeth truly never wanted to face. What if something happened overseas, what if he was hurt or worse? She couldn't lose him.

Elizabeth's thoughts raced through her mind a million miles a minute. She felt her heart pounding inside of her chest. Henry's words brought her back to reality, "I'm so sorry, Elizabeth."

She shook her head and found the strength to compose herself from somewhere deep inside, "We always knew this was a possibility."

"I just don't want to leave you," he admitted, "I've always been ready to serve my country. The costs, the sacrifice never scared me. Now that I have you everything is different."

Elizabeth looked at him tenderly before leaning in and kissing him softly, "I'll be here when you get back. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Henry wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her into his lap, not caring that they were still seated on a public park bench.

She cupped his face with her hands, "You're going to go over there and be the best damn Marine they've ever seen. Then you're going to come back to me and we'll get back to living our lives together. Okay?"

He smiled at her softly, "Okay, babe."

She kissed him again, passionately this time, only to pull away briefly to say, "That's, Mrs. Mccord to you."


End file.
